Dr. Angelica Patterson, a plant ecophysiologist and science communicator from Mount Holyoke College explores how climate-induced shifts in the tree species that make up northeastern forests may impact their carbon storage potential, and how we can mitigate these changes.
As northeastern forests recover from a history of agriculture and timber harvesting, they have become one of the world’s fastest-growing carbon sinks. By locking up carbon in their wood, the trees that make up these forests are allies in the fight against climate change. But warming temperatures are leading to shifts in the tree species that make up these forests, as some slowly migrate northward in search of cooler conditions.
Patterson discusses her research on how different tree species are responding to warming temperatures, which are most tolerant, competing stressors, and what this means for future carbon storage. Her work has revealed that resident trees (such as Northern red oak and red maple) may have a physiological disadvantage compared with their migrant counterparts (such as pignut hickory and American sycamore), and are at risk of being replaced due to this and other ecological factors.
Patterson is Curator of Education and Outreach for Mount Holyoke College's Miller Worley Center for the Environment. She has been dubbed the “The Shotgun Scientist” for a method she uses to research how trees respond to climate change. Patterson received her bachelor’s from Cornell University and her master’s and doctorate degrees from Columbia University. She is an advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the environmental sciences.
For more information about Dr. Patterson and her work, visit her on X @ColorfulSciGirl or at www.theshotgunscientist.com.
